District 8 lawmakers defend education spending at Duluth town hall

District 8 lawmakers used Monday night’s town hall at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center to defend recent education spending and press their case that fraud prevention, housing and government transparency belong in the same conversation. Sen. Jen McEwen, Rep. Liish Kozlowski and Rep. Pete Johnson told residents they were trying to connect state spending decisions to the pressures Duluth families feel in schools, apartments and public services.

At a February 15 town hall, McEwen said it was her first in-person gathering since taking office in 2021 because of the pandemic. Kozlowski said housing work included a $50 million rental assistance proposal and efforts to pause evictions, while McEwen said she wanted to defend labor and environmental laws and focus on water and lead pipe replacement. Those priorities framed the delegation’s return to the DECC after the session.

Education remains the clearest test. Minnesota lawmakers reached a 2026-27 K-12 funding agreement totaling $25.73 billion, but the same deal also warned of a possible $420 million general education cut in 2028-29. Duluth Public Schools responded with $4.2 million in budget cuts for 2026-27 on March 24, 2026, showing how statewide budget decisions can land as staffing pressure, program trimming and harder choices for classrooms in Duluth.

Housing was just as central. Duluth needs nearly 9,000 additional housing units by 2035, and the city’s rental vacancy rate is under 2 percent, far below the roughly 5 percent considered healthy. That shortage has stayed on the public agenda as Duluth residents continue to press city officials on zoning, neighborhood character and affordability. The Legislature’s nearly $25 million local funding package for Duluth projects included $4 million for the Duluth Airport Authority, $3.5 million for a 148th Fighter Wing hangar, $4.9 million for the DECC, $8.85 million for the Duluth Housing and Redevelopment Authority and Union Gospel Mission, and $4.26 million for City of Duluth water system improvements. Mayor Roger Reinert said Duluth was one of the most successful communities at the Legislature this year.

The accountability question now is whether those dollars, plus the proposed fraud-fighting Office of the Inspector General, come with enough authority, staffing and budget to change day-to-day life in St. Louis County. Over the next year, residents will be able to measure the session by whether school cuts ease, housing projects move and oversight gains teeth.